Dr. Jaume Alonso

Dr. Jaume Alonso

Postdoctoral Researcher in Mathematics

Institute of Mathematics
Technische Universität Berlin

Erasmus Student Network (ESN)

For many years I have volunteered in my free time for the Erasmus Student Network. ESN was founded on 1989 and it is the biggest student association in Europe, present in more than 480 Higher Education Institutions from 37 countries. ESN aims at supportung and developing student exchange and international mobility.

About the Erasmus Student Network

ESN aims at working in the interest of students who are spending a part of their professional education at a higher education institution in a country other than the one in which their home institution is situated. The organisation works to improve the conditions for present and future exchange students and to promote the exchange experience and concerns itself directly or indirectly with every aspect of this subject as broadly as possible. It does so without being associated with any political or confessional group.Through its work for the mobile students, ESN also aims at working for the non-mobile students by improving their chances to experience international student exchange at their home institution.

ESNsurvey

One of the projects I have worked on is the ESNsurvey. It is the biggest regular European research project planned and carried out entirely by students for students. It is conducted annually since 2005 and surveys students at higher education institutions. ESN shares the results with the main stakeholders in higher education and mobility programmes.

The aims of the ESNsurvey are:

  • Explore current issues connected to academic and non-academic mobility and education.
  • Get a better insight into student issues in order to represent their real needs.

I co-authored two editions:

  • ESNsurvey 2018 on the Challenges and Enablers of International Mobility for Students with Disabilities
  • ESNsurvey 2016 on the International-Friendliness of Universities

International Education and Advocacy

The Erasmus Student Network actively contributes to the European Union policies by publishing policy papers in the fields of education and training as well as youth and voluntering. The advocacy done by ESN regarding the general improvement of exchange programmes in Europe is based on the opinions of more than 180.000 exchange students that we assist every year and whose opinion os collected in surveys and researches. Here there is a sample of the position papers released by ESN:

  • Erasmus+ 1st Year Review by the European University Foundation and the Erasmus Student Network.
  • Reaction paper to the public consultation on the Europe 2020 Strategy by the European Commission.
  • Position paper on Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes.
  • Position paper on the Future rules on the entry and residence of non-EU national researchers, students, school pupils, unremunerated trainees and volunteers in the EU.

Experience in the Erasmus Student Network

Between 2011 and 2017 I held several positions in the local, national and international level of ESN:

  • Member of the ESNsurvey Team (2016-2017)
  • National Representative of ESN Spain (2014-2016)
  • Education Officer of ESN Spain (2014-2015)
  • Member of the International Committee for Education (2014-2016)
  • Member of Honour of ESN UAB Barcelona
  • Vicepresident of ESN UAB Barcelona (2013-2014)
  • Chair of several events / conferences